West Bridgewater native survives Alaska bear attack

West Bridgewater native Susan Armstrong has seen a lot of bears since she moved to Alaska four years ago. But two weeks ago, she got a better view of one than she ever dreamed.

Paula M. Donnelly

West Bridgewater native Susan (Eaton) Armstrong has seen a lot of bears since she moved to Alaska four years ago. But two weeks ago, she got a better view than she ever dreamed of.

Armstrong, a 1985 graduate of West Bridgewater High School, went out on Sept. 11 for “a quiet walk” on an isolated walking trail near her home in Eagle River, Alaska, with her German shepherd, Shadow.

The dog was chasing a squirrel when it froze. She looked over and saw a black bear standing on its hind legs fewer than 20 yards away. After a momentary stand-off, the bear chased the dog, the two animals scuffled and the bear turned to Armstrong.

“The bear just came at me and charged me,” Armstrong recalled. “He was on top of me, and then kept going.”

The bear left Armstrong alone long enough for her to run the mile back to her home, where she was joined by her dog. The bear was nowhere to be found.

Armstrong said the bear left a 5 1/2-inch paw print on the back of her shirt and a scratch on her back.

She moved to Alaska with her husband, Russell, also formerly of West Bridgewater, after he joined the Air Force.

“I don’t know what the people in West Bridgewater would say when they find out (about the bear attack) — probably that I was crazy for living in Alaska,” Armstrong said.